15 {whole} MONTHS!

i took my little punkin' head to the pumpkin patch today!

it wasn't really a planned trip. we want to wait for daddy to actually go on the hayride...

but our home is in desperate need of some seasonal decor and as i drove by Bellinger's on my way home i couldn't help but get distracted by thier cute autumn display (and plus, i always like to do something fun w/Kai on my half day of work!).

he ran like mad through the little hay bale maze full of very large orange and white pumpkins and he did THE CUTEST thing when i held up a miniature pumpkin and said "look Kai, a baby pumpkin!": he took the pumpkin out of my hands and snuggled it between his cheek and shoulder, like it was his actual baby. OMG. too cute.

needless to say we came home with lots of colorful gourds and mini-pumpkins

and Kai's BIG pumpkin for carving....

like the big ol' bump on his noggin? yeah, he likes to climb unstable objects. like, all the time.

 and this is his new "trick" that is happening way too often.

 here's an example:

the other day before his bath i left (quickly) to take a diaper out and came back to find his butt-naked body up on top of our wicker under-the-counter storage bin trying desperately to reach for his toothbrush at the back of the counter. what next?
(scary thought).

no joke, last night at dinner he requested to have ketchup with his grilled cheese.

i had cut the sandwich up and placed it on his tray with his peas and he pointed to the fridge and politely demanded something in his baby-speak. i don't know how i knew, but it was ketchup.

i squirted some out on a lid and he went right along with his meal, dipping each tiny piece of grilled cheese in the red tomatoey blob.

not sure where he learned this (hmmmm DADDY???!)

silly mommy + crazy daddy =

mr. personality.

with each month i keep changing my mind that no, THIS is my favorite age...

but really, he is more fun with each day.

here's a few reasons why:

it still melts my heart just as much as it did the very first time when he calls me "Mama."

he is obsessed with balloons, and often points to tomatoes hanging from the vines and calls them "bbbblllooooos"

he literally understands everything i say to him. i'll tell him to go get something, he does it. i tell him to "throw it in the garbage" he does it. i ask him if he wants a snack and he goes to the fridge.

he nods his head "yes" and "no"

he LOVES Elmo

every night after bathtime when we are brushing his teeth, he points to the picture in the corner on the counter of me and G and says "Daddy" and if G's gone he'll wave "bye-bye." yeah, it kinda breaks my heart.

today he had everybody in the library laughing when he was running through the stacks and shelves of books shreiking and laughing playing "peek-a-boo" and "i'm gonna getchu!"

he wants to be a big boy and walk everywhere. unassisted.

this hurts my feelings a little bit, but is a welcome relief on my back.

he always ends up sneaking onto my lap.

i plopped him into the booth next to me at McDonalds the other day (for our Monday recovery date) and he wriggled his way right up into my lap.

it's always better that way.

he still falls asleep on my chest with his little arm wrapped around my neck...

and wakes up every day with a huge smile to remind me that no matter how stressed, tired or late i am... 

everything is going to be ok. 

thank you baby boy for a refreshed perspective and giving me the most rewarding job of all.

two-fer-one's.

we all like to get two things for the price of one, right?

think of time as money. we want to make the MOST out of our moments, hours, afternoons, days, weeks....
and time is precious. we often are forced to sacrifice one thing for another due to lack of time, which is a drag. but let's face it, there just aren't enough hours in the day.

unless, of course, you master the art of the 2-for-1.

yeah, you little multi-taskers, that's doing two things at one time. many of us do this all day, and yes, we often may do three, four, or heaven forbid FIVE things at one time.

but to REALLY achieve the 2-for-1 status you have to think outside of the box. (yeah, so cooking dinner while watching the news or eating breakfast on the road doesn't really count, sorry.)

................................................

here is a morning hygeine time-saver that i began doing when i was late for morning class back in college.
brushing my teeth in the shower. some of you may do this, it's genius if you ask me. you clean your teeth and your bod simultaneously! brilliant:

once crowned with the wonderful title of "mommy," i gleaned a handful of additional two-for-one's that just may be useful for you, dear bloggie. who knows?

like this one! feed Kai snack, AND clean the floor! (a chore that i HATE):

OR working on my core strength doing planks and other various abdominal exercises while waiting for Kai to fall asleep (i usually wait for him to finish his bottle before i leave because if i don't then it leaks all over the place!). i'm sure G would die laughing if he walked in to Kai's room thinking that i was rocking him but instead found Kai in his crib and me diligently holding plank position on his floor! he has asked me a few times why i was breathing so hard when i crawled back into bed after "putting Kai back down." haha! that's a 2-for-1 at it's best, my friends.

...then there are the more practical, everyday kind of 2-for-1's like me (or honey! j/k) taking a bath with Kai. that's a time-saver. even if i don't get all the way into the bathtub with Kai, every night i put my feet in with him AND wash my face...that's a lil' two-for-one.

we also eat breakfast together. out of the same bowl and everything. i've had to alter my daily oatmeal recipes a bit to be more conducive to a 9-month old stomach (1/2 c. old fashioned oats w/1/2 a sliced bananer, blueberries, sometimes strawberries and always raisens) but he LOVES to share breakfast with mom. i'm not sure when this all started, but that little stinker will eat every meal BUT breakfast in his high chair. it's like he knows that once mom cleans up his mess and put the high chair away she's breaks out the "good stuff" and thats just what he wants. mommy's oatmeal. at least it's healthy. then, (here's another 2-for-1) when we are finished with our oatmeal honey licks out the bowl and once it's shiny and clean (er, sort of) Kai pushes it around the floor for usually a solid 30 minutes AND bangs on it with our spoon. seriously. just about every day.

another 2/1...or actually 3/1: walking (exercise) with Kai, and Honey (dog walked!) TO the library (or any other destination of an errand we need to run!). we do this quite often. one of the benefits of our home being wonderfully centrally located  in this grand metropolis.

...and then there is the little game i play with Kai's naptime. i like to see HOW MUCH i can get accomplished in any one period of blessed nap time. more often than not, this is at least 2 hours. but sometimes it barely eclipses an hour and it's those naps that keep me movin' fast! during Kai's morning nap i usually have my daily quiet time outside after feeding Honey, picking up the house and either folding or starting laundry. then i either work in the yard or get a bit of a workout in.

(this is an unfinished project!!)

this is a very random blog topic, but making the most out of your day is great, dontcha think?!

do YOU have any tried and true 2-for-1's you'd like to share (silly or not...)??

9 month update!

Kai Quincy

at

9 months

Now that he's pulling up on EVERYTHING, he often enjoys looking out the window while standing bouncing on the back of the couch.

And yes, like I said pulling himself up on EVERYTHING...

and trying to climb on everything.

His favorite climing posts thus far: the couch, any door or window, any coffee table, the dishwasher, the pantry, MOMMY and honey (and those are JUST the faves!).

Favorite toy: ANYTHING with wheels....

or anything that easily slides around on the ground while being pushed. This boy LOVES wheels!

He also loves to MOVE. He's crawling in super speed now...

He has recently mastered the art of clapping!

I have been taking him to baby/toddler story hour at the local public library

(every Wednesday at 10, it's fun!) and we sing lots of songs that have motions and he mirrors the bigger children (and Mommy, of course!)

He's also started crossing his little ankles when he's in a sitting position (seen above and at right below).

My little man....

Yes that's a BlackBerry on the floor next to him.

It was my DEAD BlackBerry that he so kindly decided to give a bath to early last week. He literally dropped it in his full bathtub. I turned my head for ONE second...

He is also eating peas (and cereal and old pieces of breakfast lunch and dinner...and dirt and leaves...).

Off the floor.

Yep, please note the bowl that was intented to hold the peas. Nope, he dumps his snacks on the floor and sometimes doesn't even bother to pick them up, he just eats em' straight off of the floor like Honey. It's hilarious and great for building up the immune system...or something like that ;)

Yum! Sticks!

...also any cup. Or bowl. Really, anything with an opening he LOVES to pretend like he's drinking like a big boy. G and I let him drink water out of our cups and he enjoys it so much he tests every cup/bowl out to see if it contains any refreshing cold water. But in the photo located above-right he was really just toasting to the marriage of Mommy's buddy Veronica!

Eating LOTS of fun new foods.

Some of the newer favorites include kiwi, grapes, egg yolk (boiled/microwaved) and raisins!

Loves, loves, loves to be OUTSIDE.

Here he has walked (in his walker) to the door (more like RAMMED the door) and is shrieking to get my attention to take him outside. He does this at the back and front door several times a day.

If it's decent out we are outside a LOT working in the yard, watering the garden and flowers and weeding...

Still lovin' bathtime, especially if it's with cousins!

Bathtime has changed quite a bit, however. He crawls all over the place and pulls himself up on the sides.

He also enjoys splashing. A lot. It's getting more interesting with every day

 (not to mention more WORK for the usually WET and TIRED bath-giver!)

Favorite mode of transportation: Mommy's old blue backpack

 (My Dad used to carry me and my siblings in this thing!)

My little red...

getting more personality with every single smile-filled day!

 (Think they're related?!)

Such a fun age.

SUCH a fun boy.

two-cent tuesday: 5 tidbits.

1.

I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE house plants! My house would be a mini-rainforest if I didn't have a 9 month old who loves to eat potting soil and leaves. I have a handful of houseplants now, but want MORE. I need shelves...and hooks that hang from the ceiling! Here's HOW houseplants purify the air in your home, and HERE are the "Top 10 Houseplants for Cleaner Air."

source

2.

Even as I'm trying to feed Kai home-made, natural foods, I'm still accumulating several baby food jars. I've been brainstorming creative uses for these little guys and found lots of fun ideas here!

3.

I'm such a teacher in my gift-giving. My go-to gift for children's birthday's is ALWAYS books. And puzzles. Boring compared to all of the flashy electronic gadgets others shower them with? At the moment, probably. But you know what? A book or good puzzle will OUTLAST those loud and annoying toys anyday, AND make your child smarter while they play! One of the BEST things parents can do for their children is something that is so inexpensive and easy it is often overlooked: READING!! Here's why you should start reading to your kiddos when they are BABIES!

4.

 CUTE, Comfy shoes!

5.

 Stuck in a rut? Feeling depressed? Sorry for yourself? Not sure you have a purpose here on earth?

Check it out: How Helping Others Helps YOU!

(inspiring stories of kindness!)

weekend potpourri

 {good}neighbors are rare finds, and i am so lucky to have them. on BOTH sides. my sweet neighbor brought me a handful of lilacs. just because.  i needed a reminder of how something as simple as a few flowers plucked from your yard can brighten someone's day...

on THAT note i spent the afternoon clearing out my garden and flower beds, making mental notes of what to buy, plant, start, etc.

my parents gave me some leftover lettuce/spinach plants, which we planted today...i have strawberry's coming back and am going to plant LOTS of tomatoes, green onions, peppers, cucumbers and RASPBERRIES!

oh, and don't even get me started on the flowers...i need to start putting money away just for landscaping costs! i DO have a cool project in store for this spring: i'm going to turn our old brick built-in bbq pit into a raised flower bed....be on the lookout for before/after pics!

it felt AWESOME to get lost in the weeds and winter-brush and get my hands and feet dirty, even if it was a bit on the chilly side...it was sunny, so i was content--and as for the wind, that's just an Eastern Oregon springtime staple...

i stocked up on squash! (for Kai).

he LOVES squash, and i just feel so much better about giving him fresh food that hasn't been sitting in a can for Lord knows how long. one of his faves is squash (this is acorn squash) mixed with apple and brown rice. yummy yummy!

i've got a freezer full of home-made baby food cubes and jars: peaches, nectarines, apples, pear, pear-apple, squash, beans and peas. This website has some great baby food recipes if you are into that kind of thing...

i'm finding socks AND shoes all over the place.

he is literally walking out of his socks...

i'm constantly finding him with one on and one off!

all smiles!

the last few nights he's been sleeping AWESOME--like up only once from 8pm-8am...i probably shouldn't blog about this, because it will inevitably jinx me. but, it's been fabulous to get a few extra hours of sleep.

and on top of that he's still taking two naps a day for anywhere from 1-3 hours at a time!

my little stinker's growin' like crazy...

i'll leave you with a little somethin' that Kai's been practicing up on

for summer pool/ocean/river time:

(he was mimicking me splashing with my feet!)

Wishing you all a great week!